Angels Can Fall
by Nirianne
Summary: AU. "Tell me Caius, do you believe in angels?" R&R!
1. Angels Can Fall –Part 1–

**A/N: **This is a story where I believed in something called "hope". You know those moments when you cling onto something so dear to your heart only to watch it slip away through your fingers? You know those moments when you want to just fall and surrender but because of a stranger's, no, a friend's kindness you stand back on your two feet and fight on? This is a story that was inspired by one of the truly great persons I met here. Thank you, Lotusbitch for being there for me even though at times I want to give up. Thank you for giving me hope.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Summary:** "Tell me Caius, do you believe in angels?"

* * *

**Angels Can Fall (Part 1)**

"I'll take one can of beer, no wait; make that two cans and Flan orange juice."

"Sir, the hospital doesn't serve beer."

"Right. Then just a box of Flan orange juice then."

Paying the cashier, Caius took the groceries and walked out the door. Why did he keep forgetting the hospital didn't serve beer? Right, it was of the new laws imposed by the newly elected Primarch that's why. Done grumbling for the moment, he returned back the way he came. Every time he walked down these silent halls, it was different. Yesterday he witnessed an accident by one of the nurses whom he saved from slipping. Of course, he was then 'hot' news amongst the nurses. Regardless of what they thought of him, he had his eyes set on one person in particular. Though, in no way romantically.

Turning down a hallway, he counted the doors until reaching door number thirteen. On the door etched on a golden plaque was a name: Nsu-Yeul. Pushing down the steel handle, the door creaked signaling his arrival.

"Back," Caius announced heading to Yeul.

The girl with long azure hair greeted with a nod before turning her attention to the skies. Yeul's eyes never left the skies watching yet, almost waiting. The sound of a chair scrapped across the floor momentarily broke her attention from the skies.

"Looking at the skies again?" Caius questioned. "I can't help but notice you constantly gaze at the skies lately."

"Do I?" Yeul spoke in a raspy voice. Releasing several dry coughs, Yeul inhaled air. To any other person fresh air would do them good but to Yeul, they burned her lungs. Feeling Caius's eyes on her, she immediately smiled. "It's nothing. I'm fine, really."

"Yeul..." Quickly giving her the Flan orange juice he said, "This should help you."

Yeul's eyes suddenly lit up seeing the box of orange juice. Stroking a thumb over the colored box, she weakly smiled. How many more times will she get to drink this before the angels take her away? Her eyes involuntarily watered thinking of leaving Caius' side.

"You thought of angels again," Caius wiped her tears with his thumb. "Did I not tell you to think of them? The more you think of them, the sadder you become."

"I can't help it," Yeul spoke in a whisper. "My life is coming to an end soon... I thought if I constantly wished for angels... I can see one before I die."

"Angels don't come for anybody, Yeul."

"I know..."

"Now, no more talks about angels."

Yeul nodded and slowly shifted her position to lie on her back. Caius pulled the blanket over her for warmth. Pressing a palm on Yeul's forehead, her skin was ice cold. Watching Yeul breathe with difficulty pained him greatly; he wished day in and out to exchange places with her. He wished he was the one dying and not her. Yeul's eyes once again moved to the window, gazing upon the blue sky.

"Tell me Caius, do you believe in angels?"

"Yeul didn't I say—"

"Do you believe in them?"

"No," he replied falling back into the chair. "Only if I see one then maybe I'll believe angels exist."

"I think angels exist." Yeul smiled beneath the blanket. "I read they're beings sent by the merciful goddess Etro to take those away to Valhalla to live a life of peace, waiting for the right moment to be born anew."

Caius remained silent listening to Yeul. Truth be told, a small part of him believed in angels but he knew angels were myth. Nobody had seen an angel that was of course when a life was about to be extinguished. People say they saw angels adorned with a bright light, waiting for them to cross over and welcoming them with an extended hand. They said they'll protect them ensuring a safe passage. Only through books and chronicles did Caius ever saw Valhalla. It didn't quite fit the description of paradise; it was a lonesome land filled with vacant buildings waiting to be filled by souls. To think, an angel will come and take Yeul away...

"Caius?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, he looked at her. "Yes?"

"I want to see an angel."

Caius frowned. Shaking his head, he stood up from the chair.

"I can't make that happen," he stated firmly. "Right now you should save your strength for tomorrow. I'll be back."

"Okay."

Picking up his leather jacket from the coat stand he couldn't help but look over his shoulder. As expected, Yeul's eyes returned to the vast expanse of blue sky. Expelling a sigh, he left the room wishing the angels would let her live, one day at a time.

* * *

Kicking the side of his motorcycle, Caius cursed at the lifeless solar cell. Of course he had to forget to charge it yesterday when the sun was high in the sky. Checking through the vehicles' compartment, he struck gold; stashed in one of the compartments was a fully charged solar cell. Quickly swapping it for the new one, the ebony and purple vehicle roared to life upon a twist of a key. Getting on the bike, he snapped on his shades and turned the handle zipping out of the parking lot. Weaving in and out through Academia, things were normal, that was until he noticed clouds gathering above him. Strange, the weather girl said nothing about showers.

The clouds were strange constantly spiraling into a vortex. White light spread through the grey mess before an ear rattling boom echoed across Academia.

"Someone pissed the gods off," Caius spoke maneuvering around a car.

Turning a corner toward the park, a sudden charge of light slammed into one of the trees. On instinct, Caius hit the brakes. Drop after drop of rain fell before curtains of cold, merciless rain slammed onto him.

_Rain... Just my luck..._

Removing his shades, he swore he saw something or someone by the tree. Blinking several times, his amethyst eyes locked onto a body of a sleeping woman. He didn't need encouragement to help her seeing her body expelling columns of smoke. Rushing to her, he quickly held her.

"Are you alright?"

Shaking her a couple of times, he noticed something particularly odd with her. She wore armor; a silver breastplate, silver gloves and boots and a long feathered garment attached to her left hip. Not far away from her were an elegantly crafted sword and a shield. Shaking her a couple of times, she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was slightly askew wobbling in all directions.

"Hey, you alright?"

She focused her vision upon a man. Blinking rapidly, she pushed herself up and grabbed his wrist. Before Caius registered what was going on, the woman scrambled onto her feet, twisted his wrist and threw him over her shoulder. Landing in a muddy pool, he was about to get up but was greeted with a silver sword inches from his face.

"Where am I?" she questioned.

"Pulse."

She blinked inching the blade closer. "Pulse you say?"

"Why would I lie?"

She snapped her blade to the side, scattering droplets into the grass. Taking a step forward, she observed her surroundings. The grass was lush and green, the sky was once blue (before her arrival) and there was a city not too far off boasting yellow, red, green and blue lights.

"Pulse..." she muttered. Suddenly she raised her blade pointing to the sky and screamed, "Oh this is fair! This is how you treat me?"

Cradling his neck, Caius slowly got to his feet. He watched the woman scream at the skies.

"Banishing me out like that! Yeah right, real mature!"

_I wonder if she hit her head?_

"Open the gate! I demand you to open the gate!"

_She hit her head._

"Return me to Valhalla at once!"

Caius blinked; did she just mention Valhalla? The city of the dead? It was only when she turned around did Caius took notice of her. In the back of her armor were slits with ripped feathers sticking out. Turning to the side he noticed several unusual things burnt in the grass. Picking them up, they were scorched feathers. Did that mean... No. That's impossible.

"You're not an angel, are you?"

The woman stopped screaming and turned to Caius. Her eyes were narrow. "What of it?"

"Yes or no?"

"What if I am?" she crossed her arms. "What if I am an angel you mortals speak about?"

"You are an angel..." His voice trailed off. Quickly remembering Yeul's words he asked, "Are you here to take someone away?"

"That was the idea until Etro banished me here," The woman huffed.

Now did he believe angels exist? No. He always depicted angels to be of kind nature and not one as hotheaded or short tempered as this one. This one was a spitfire. Period. Speaking of this one, this one lacked a halo.

"What are you gawking at?" she snapped.

"If you're an angel, where's your halo?"

She rolled her eyes. "Angels don't have halos, idiot. You mortals gave us halos in your drawings and you immediately assume all angels have halos?"

"What? I mean no!"

He heard her sigh. "This is pointless."

She moved her fingers to her back touching what remains of her wings. Gone. They were gone. Without wings she couldn't fly... Quickly turning around, she raised her sword to his eye level.

"You. I demand you to help me. Find shelter for me and you will be rewarded."

"Before I do that," Caius said. "What's your name? I'm sure not everyone up there or wherever you came from are called 'angel'."

"Lightning."

"Lightning." Caius repeated. "First off Lightning, you can't walk around like that,"

Lightning glanced down at her armor then at his clothing.

"I'm supposed to dress like you? What I'm wearing is perfectly fine!"

"Maybe in Valhalla but not here," Removing his leather jacket he gave it to her. "Wear this. At least people won't ask questions."

Snatching the jacket, Lightning slipped her arms through it. Now she looked even more awkward than before.

"I look terrible," Lightning narrowed her eyes. "And this thing, it reeks of sweat!"

Caius remained silent and headed over to his bike. If she was actually an angel, she was an oddball to say the least. Hopping onto his bike, he motioned her to follow. Lightning was quite perplexed with the metallic purring vehicle and got onto it, legs to the side as she gripped onto the handle on the backseat.

"Now I feel awkward." Lightning dryly commented.

"Hang on."

The metallic beast roared to life suddenly spinning a one eighty before heading down the drenched roads. Lightning slammed into Caius' back and grumbled. The speed he was going on a wet road was insane but she believed he knew what he was doing. Of course, if he got her killed then there would be one less merciless angel to deal with. Suddenly jerking to a stop, Lightning's face slammed into his back.

"Watch it will you?" she hissed. Rubbing her nose, she grumbled. _He's terrible!_

Suddenly hearing the roar of the vehicle once more, Lightning clutched onto his jacket praying for dear life. She could any day sit on Odin and train in the celestial fields until the fall of night against imaginative fiends but this… _this_ was something she was absolutely not prepared for! She was in a mortal world, lost and with this man who apparently may give her a heart attack. Brilliant. For now, she may as well place her life in his hands; after all, if she was discovered to be an angel, things may get pretty ugly.


	2. Angels Can Fall –Part 2–

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews and favorites! –hearts– For _Heir to Chaos _I haven't forgotten it. I'm in the process of writing it. I just needed a break from writing something serious, y'know? In this story, I know that some people are OOC but yeah, it's AU.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Summary:** "Tell me Caius, do you believe in angels?"

* * *

**Angels Can Fall (Part 2)**

Caius exited the bathroom running a towel through his hair. Making sure he was at least partially dry, he turned his gaze to the bad tempered angel standing by the window with a hand on her hip. She didn't move nor did she take notice of his approach. Only just a couple of steps away from her did Lightning speak.

"I can't believe I'm here," she spoke as if she was alone. "I can't believe I'm on _Pulse._"

Just thinking about her banishment boiled her blood. Crossing her arms, she remembered arguing, no, more like screaming at the deity who placed Lightning in this mess: Etro.

_Some merciful goddess my ass,_ Lightning narrowed her eyes and shifted. Only after Etro issued her final command did the Fal'Cie Council agreed with the goddess thus, here was Lightning; on Pulse and in a stranger's home.

"Are you doing alright?"

"No," Lightning replied. Turning around, she was met with his shirtless, well toned and slightly damp sculpted torso. She took note, although not aloud, he had a physique which could easily rival the other gods. Tilting her head up she narrowed her eyes, "What?"

"So, do you know why you're on Pulse?"

"No, not really but I have a vague idea," Lightning answered. Sighing she continued, "My Focus was to come after someone before I can take them to Valhalla. The only problem is that I wasn't given a name or anything. I was told: took after them. Before I knew what was going on, I argued and here I am, standing in front of you."

_Could it possibly be Yeul? Perhaps not. There are others waiting for angels to take them. However, I'm still not convinced she's an 'angel'. She could easily be one of those people who smoked too much Gysahl Greens for all I know. _

"Are you doubting me?" Lightning's voice sliced through his chain of thought.

Caius turned his attention to her, "Slightly. I'm not convinced you're an 'angel'."

"And now I need to prove it to you?" she spoke through gritted teeth.

"If you need my assistance then I need proof you are what you say you are."

Annoyed, Lightning tightened her fists. Did he actually believe she was capable of casting hokus-pokus magic to demonstrate she was actually an angel? How dare he doubt her! Quickly moving her hand beneath her armor, she undid leather laces loosing each armor plating. Piece by piece silver armor plating fell onto the burgundy colored carpet. Revealing a skin suit, she spun around and touched the slits on her back.

"Is this proof enough?"

Caius extended his fingers to the feathers, caressing the torn pieces. Placing a hand on her back, Lightning immediately froze.

"You claim these are your wings?" he asked.

"If they're not, what else would they be?" Lightning replied irritably. Either he was stupid or humans were highly uneducated. Pfft, the chronicles lied claiming humans were a species too smart for their own good! _More like too dumb to realize…_

Without permission, Caius plucked out a feather. Lightning hastily spun around and pushed her armored arm against his throat, pinning him against the window. Her eyes glowed with rage as he lifted up the feather, twisting it between his index finger and thumb.

"You try my patience, human," Lightning hissed. "Plucking my feathers for your own amusement."

"I wanted to see if you reacted."

"Well now you have your answer!"

"If you are truly an angel, your feathers will resist any type of damage, am I correct?"

Lightning bit her lip and removed her arm from his neck and watched him head over to a strange cube looking type device. It was metallic with four flat round surfaces on the top. She watched him turn a knob and just like that, flames danced on the surface. Caius looked over to Lightning one last time and lowered the white feather. He never expected the feather to resist the dancing blue flames. Instead, the feather remained untouched. Not even a singe. Hearing Lightning's armor rattle, he turned his attention to the 'angel' who was picking up her armor and picked up some extra things from the floor. Cradling her armor in one hand, her other hand held a piece of clothing; it was a triangular shaped piece with black leopard print on it. It even had strings dangling on the sides. Caius immediately darted out of the kitchen and snatched it away from her. Throwing it into the bin, he pretended Lightning didn't see that.

"I believe you had female company over last night." Lightning bluntly stated.

Caius didn't reply.

"Or was it male company?"

Caius turned to her. "Of course not!" He shot. "Why in the name of Pulse would I have male company over?"

"Strange," Lightning said semi-crossing her arms. "I thought you humans don't mate until you go through holy matrimony."

About to reply, Caius heard several thundering knocks on the door. Instructing her to stay hidden, Caius headed to the door and opened it. Standing in front of him was an elderly lady. Lightning leaned by the wall and eavesdropped on their conversation. From what she understood, it was something about Gil and this room. Looking around, she couldn't tell if this was an average room mortals lived in; Lightning was used to living in spacious rooms adorned with gold and windows showing off the entire expanse of the celestial plains. Thinking about home comforted her, a little.

"You're late paying rent this month, Caius. This is the fifth month in a row." The woman spoke. "My husband isn't too thrilled with it."

"I know. Please understand I need more time. I need that money to pay Yeul's medical bills." Caius answered sincerely.

"I hate to say it to you but my husband doesn't _care_." The elderly lady sighed. "I'm not supposed to tell you this but he wishes angels to quickly take Yeul away…"

Caius tightened his fists. Upon hearing the word 'angel', Lightning popped her head around the corner. The elderly lady took notice of Lightning.

"And you are?"

Caius turned around meeting Lightning's aqua-colored eyes. Lightning emerged from around the corner without her armor except her skin suit. Lightning blinked a couple of times at the woman.

"And you are?" The elderly woman repeated.

"Li—"

"Claire," Caius intervened. "This is Claire, my fiancée."

Lightning shot daggers at him. Swiftly pulling her close, Caius tried to convince the elderly lady they were a happy _couple_. Quickly sensing Caius' urgency, the angel had to lie.

"Yes, he's my _fiancé_," Lightning stressed on the word as if it was threaded with Ochu thorns. Placing a hand on his abs she continued, "I'm only staying over for the night. I just wanted to check out how my _fiancé _is doing without me around."

"I see," The elderly woman continued staring. "Because you're his fiancée, this doesn't violate the 'No Women' policy. Anyway, I have to go now but I beg you Caius: you have to pay this month's rent before my husband kicks you out."

_So that's his name. Caius._

"I will, I promise."

Watching the lady sigh, she hobbled down the hallway with her cane. Once she was out of ear shot, Lightning removed her hands from him. Instead, she crossed her arms.

"Who's Yeul?"

"A girl,"

"A girl?" Lightning questioned. "She sounds more than just 'a girl'."

"She's a girl I'm looking after. Right now she's in the hospital waiting for heart surgery." Caius explained quietly. "Although the doctors say a surgery is useless since they believe it won't save her."

Lightning remained silent. She took a couple of steps back giving him space. Caius walked past her, heading to the windows. Just like Yeul, he looked toward the sky.

"Yeul told me she wanted to see an angel," Caius spoke. "She knew she was dying so she waits for the day an angel will take her away to Valhalla. After she wished for an angel, you appeared."

Lightning noticed Caius' fist tightened. "I won't take her away,"

"How can you be certain?" he turned around. "You're an angel."

"I am but I don't know my _Focus_," Lightning replied. "If I knew my Focus from the beginning I would have finished it by now. I don't think my Focus has to do anything with taking this Yeul away from you."

"I hope not," he said. "She's the only person I have left."

"Either way, I need to figure out my Focus so I can go home," Lightning concluded. "Without it, I'm good as dead here."

He turned around and Lightning already had walked away, stretching. Closing the bathroom door behind her, he was left alone to ponder her words.

* * *

Lightning emerged with a towel wrapped around her body later to find she was alone. She walked around the room and examined the objects. Some objects looked oddly familiar to her while others looked strange. One object in particular caught the angel's attention. Tapping the glass bowl, she tilted her head in confusion. Attached to the glass bowl was a black handle. Removing it from the strange device, there was a strange powdery substance in it. Sticking her finger into the powdery brown substance, Lightning immediately made a face.

"What is this stuff?" Lightning glared at the substance hoping for it to answer her. "It's disgusting!"

Placing down the glass bowl thingy, Lightning turned her attention to the table. She didn't need anybody to tell her this was a table. Valhalla had them too though in Valhalla, tables were crafted out of gold and ivory. This was one was made out of wood. Slipping her fingers beneath the handles, she pulled it open. In front of her were papers with black lines spilled across it. Picking them up, Lightning flipped through every page.

"Musical notes," she said aloud. "This is a song."

Quickly placing the papers back into the drawer, she quickly closed it upon hearing the door knob turn. Caius entered with bags of clothing. Before he spoke, he saw the angel sit on his bed and just like Yeul, she stared at the skies.

_Does everybody now stare at the skies?_

It took him a couple of blinks to fully see the slits on her back now absent of feathers. Peering into his bathroom, it was as he suspected; she plucked out _all_ her remaining feathers leaving them on the floor.

"I'm back."

"I know," Lightning stood up ignoring the fact she wore a towel. "Where did you go?"

"Hunting."

"Hunting? For what?" Spotting the bags she pointed to them, "Did you go and hunt fiends for dinner?"

"No." Placing one of the bags down, he pulled out clothes and shoved them to her. "These are your clothes. Please don't ask how I got them. I went through hell to get them for you."

Lightning stared at the bundle of clothing her hands. Caius stared at her a little too intently to notice a strange black marking on her cleavage. Lightning looked up and saw him looking at her brand.

"It's rude to stare," she said dryly. "Especially if the thing you're looking at is a woman's cleavage."

"I'm not looking at _that,_" Caius said. He pointed to the mark. "I'm looking at your mark."

"Which is on my cleavage."

Dismissing Lightning's obvious statement, he asked, "What is that?"

"A l'Cie brand," Lightning replied nonchalantly turning away from him. "It's a mark burned onto angels when we are assigned a Focus. Most of our Focus is basically to come down to Pulse and ensure the deceased will travel to Valhalla safely. Most angels will know who to go to next but for mine… Mine's a mystery."

"Do you have a time limit?"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah. Some angels complete their Focus in a day or in a month, depends. If the angel sees there's no hope for survival, they come quickly and release the person from their pain. Take them to Valhalla and live a life of happiness under the watchful eyes of the gods. Long story short: the deceased become angels and continue the cycle."

"What if the angel fails?"

"That too, depends." Lightning paused for a minute thinking how to phrase her next words carefully. "They say if angels don't ensure safe passage for the deceased, their powers will be stripped by the gods. If the angels take away human lives too quickly, as consequence they will be banished from Valhalla left to wander in a place called The Void Beyond. It's a place where nothing exists. Time and space are intertwined. Angels with weak wills go mentally insane. Other angels will be turned into hideous monstrosities called Cie'th… Believe me, it's ugly."

"Sounds harsh."

Lightning couldn't agree more. "And if angels can't find the person assigned in their Focus to take back to Valhalla in time… they die."

"Die?"

"Pretty much. The angel loses all their powers then their wings. Slowly they turn mortal and die..." Lightning trailed off.

Caius didn't need to be reminded this would be Lightning's fate. Death, even if someone as a celestial being eventually succumbs to it. No matter how godly or human you are, death would win. Without a thought, his arms had already wrapped around her. Lightning listened to the sound of his beating heart.

"You can find them and return to Valhalla. I'll help you find them."

"Humans shouldn't intervene," Lightning murmured distancing away from him. "It's a rule."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. It's a rule enforced by the gods and the Fal'Cie Council. I have no right to question it."

"Perhaps the gods are afraid angels and humans will mix and create something that shouldn't exist?"

"Maybe." Moving away from Caius, Lightning walked past him. "Anyway, I've said enough."

Closing the bathroom door behind her, Caius once again was left to ponder her words. Being an angel wasn't as glorious as he thought initially. Angels were burdened with rules bound by life and death. He never knew being an angel would face such consequences for not completing their Focus.

Looking at the bathroom door, Caius whispered, "I wonder if she'll find the person she needs to save…"

* * *

Lightning leaned by the black marble sink, clutching her heart. Making sure the door was locked, she removed the towel, eying her brand. For now, her brand remained on her chest, burning against her skin, reminding her of her Focus. Running a finger over the brand, Lightning was living on borrowed time; it was only a matter of time before a grotesque red eye would appear in the center of her brand, signaling her time drawing to a close.


	3. Angels Can Fall –Part 3–

**A/N:** Thanks to everybody who placed this story on their favorites! I'm really sorry for the delay in updating this; as I said in _Heir to Chaos, _I did write it until my laptop decided to KO on me... Sooo... here it is, re-written and hopefully it's better than the first version ^^ I'm gonna try to manage juggling between the two stories so both of them are updated once a week. Can't promise this but I'll try ^^ thank you to everybody who supported me so far; your words and reviews mean a lot to me :)

About this chapter, there's some language in it too xD;;

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Summary:** "Tell me Caius, do you believe in angels?"

* * *

**Angels Can Fall (Part 3)**

"The angel swooped down from the sky shooting lightning bolts from her arrow. The demons below never stood a chance. Landing on a cracked rock, the angel snapped her wrist, transforming her holy bow into a long edged sword. Kissed by the sun goddess herself, the blade was ready to destroy evil."

Yeul's eyes widened, fingers tightening on the blanket.

"The angel gracefully swung her blade, gracefully slicing through each grotesque body, aimed to taint her. Rolling out of the way, a demon succumbed to defeat once the blade pierced its heart. The sound of the agonizing roar echoed across the celestial plains. The angel was unaware of the grounds she danced on; demons soon surrounded the angel. She stopped and looked; she was outnumbered ten to one."

Yeul swallowed hard. She young girl couldn't stop thinking about the angel!

"The demons exploded onto the angel, pinning her onto the bruised and bloodied ground. The dirt muffled her screams when the demons tore apart her wings. The demons rejoiced throwing the angel's torn wings into the sky. The angel watched in despair her wings were torched before her eyes. The flames reflected off each pair of maddened eyes sensing their victory drawing near. The first and last sacrifice will be the virgin angel."

"No..."

"The angel never surrendered; mustering her strength, she summoned her blade erupting a golden light to explode from beneath the mass of demons. Standing tall, she lifted the blade high and declared valiantly, "I will never fall for evil!" Her blade shone brightly; strings of golden light shot from the sun, adorning the angel in a golden armor."

This was it! This was Yeul's favorite part!

Moving her lips, Yeul continued the story. "The angel destroyed all the demons with one final blow using the gift of the sun goddess. She danced upon a gold sea of sparkling light swinging her blade high and low. By the end of her dance, all the demons were vanquished from the celestial plains. The celestial plains were saved."

Caius turned over a page, "The angel smiled upon the victory. But, a price had to be paid,"

Yeul blinked. "Nooo! But she won!"

"The golden armor shattered across the angel's body sending the angel to plummet to the earth below. The humans stood around their savior knowing full well the angel fought to protect them even if she danced in the heavens. The humans witnessed the angel's bravery and courage to fight against a thousand demons."

"Did he come?" Yeul's voice shook. "The man who loved the angel?"

"He did not. The man the angel loved was murdered while she danced in heaven. It was not long now before the two souls unite." Caius read and turned a page. "A patch of warm sunlight lit up the angel's body as she lifted off the ground. Now adorned with the regalia of a goddess, her wings shot out from her back made out of beautiful crystal shards. One by one her tears fell from her eyes. Before the humans, their savior, their angel was now a goddess. The angel transformed into the Goddess of Light. The Goddess of Light was to be reunited with the man she fell in love with on the first day their eyes met in a field of gold. They were now destined to be together until the end. The end."

Closing the book, Yeul breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back into her pillow. With a smile on her face she turned to Caius.

"I _loved_ that story!" she smiled. "No matter how many times you read this story to me, I love it! The _Goddess of Light_ chronicles are amazing!"

"I know," Caius smiled placing the book back into the drawer. Looking over to Yeul he said, "I've forgotten how many times I've read this tale to you."

Yeul lifted up her fingers and began to count. "Twenty-seven times."

"I swore it was more than that," Caius leaned back into the chair. He was glad Yeul was smiling. Even for a little while, it warmed up his heart.

Tucking herself in, Yeul looked over at Caius. "Are you going to read me the second book? I want to know what happens when she reunites with him!"

"Of course," Pushing out of the chair, Caius glanced over at the long arm of the clock. It was now eleven o'clock. "It's way past your bedtime,"

Yeul pouted. "Caius, I'm not eleven. I'm seventeen... I know when I need to sleep."

"I know but," he grinned. "As a seventeen year old I'm sure by now you don't need me to be reading you bedtime stories now, do I?"

Yeul laughed. "You got me there. Alright, fine, I'll go bed now."

Shifting comfortably under the sheets, she watched Caius switch off the lamps. The room was now dark only allowing the moon above to shine through the gaps in the curtain. As Caius picked up his jacket from the sofa, he heard Yeul's voice.

"Caius, please don't get into any trouble,"

"I won't,"

Closing the door, Yeul turned her eyes to the hanging pearl in the sky waiting for sleep to whisk her away to the land of slumber. Closing her eyes, Yeul dreamt of angels.

* * *

Lightning crossed her arms, grumbling at the drizzling rain. There was one thing Lightning hated most: getting wet. Looking around, she tapped her foot irritably waiting for Caius. What's taking him so long? Glancing down at her attire, human clothes were odd. From brown heeled boots, skinny jeans, a large white shirt with black blotches and a quartered jacket, Lightning found the humans' sense of fashion to be bizarre. She was perfectly content wearing armor but as Caius pointed out; she would attract the wrong type of crowd... whatever that meant. Hearing the sound of the doors sliding, Lightning turned to Caius.

"What took you so long?" Lightning questioned irritably. "While you were up there, I was down here soaked."

"You could have waited in the lobby you know," Caius responded heading to his motorcycle. Inserting the key into the slot, the motorcycle purred. "That's a good boy,"

Lightning arched an eyebrow. "Why are you talking to it? It can't talk back you know that, right?"

"It's a man's thing," Caius replied quickly. "Let's go."

"Fine,"

Getting onto the purring vehicle, Lightning's legs hung to the side and she gripped tightly onto his jacket. Zipping out of the alley, Caius took Lightning down the busy streets of Academia zigzagging through hovering cars and other two wheeled vehicles. The lights around Lightning flashed by her swiftly, too swiftly for her to read the neon signs. Coming to an abrupt halt, Lightning's nose collided with his back. Though instead of cussing at him, Lightning paid attention to the sliding steps surrounding her; the steps were red or blue pointing up or down. Strange; didn't the humans like the walk? The sound of the roaring vehicle snapped Lightning out of her curiosity. Once again they weaved in and out of traffic; Lightning thought Caius was insane enough to speed up through a small gap before two trucks crossed each other.

"**Caius!**" Lightning bellowed. "**You're going to get me killed!**"

Successfully zipping through the small opening, the truck driver cursed and stuck out his middle finger. Lightning's heart echoed in her ears; he was going to _kill_ her with a heart attack! Lightning was unaware she dug her face into his back trying to contain the thought of two solid metal vehicles colliding against them. The thought of becoming a bloodied pancake was too much for the angel. Screeching to a halt, Lightning finally breathed. The madness was over.

"Here we are,"

Removing her face from his back, Lightning released her grip on his jacket. Slowly getting off the bike, Lightning moved her eyes to the flashing neon signs down the alley.

"Where are we?" she looked around. "What are these places?"

"Pubs," Caius replied slipping the keys into his jacket. "I come here to drink."

"Is this nightlife?" Lightning questioned. There was no such things as 'nightlife' in Valhalla. Intrigued, Lightning moved away from Caius's side and into a 'pub'.

The sound of music rattled the angel's delicate ears forcing her to stumble. This was an entirely new world for her listening to loud sounds and the smell of alcoholic booze filled the air. Unsure of what to do, she waited for Caius. Holding onto Lightning, he guided her through the maze of tables and to his usual spot; the lone table in the corner. Now seated, Caius gave her two laminated menus and relaxed, watching the angel's beautiful blue eyes scan through each food item. Although he was unable to see her face, Lightning was appalled by the food items. Fried Chocobo legs? Ochu stew? Long Gui steak? And this? The Devil's Kiss? It was a strange drink with a glowing red eye on the shaped glass. What was all this? Perplexed, she placed down the menu expressing confusion.

"Do your foods even taste good?" Lightning inquired. "They all sound... unhygienic."

"They're all good," Caius replied coolly. "The food here is the best in the city and—hey waiter!"

"And?"

Lightning's curiously was piqued focusing her eyes on a petite girl, skipping through the mass of humanity. Slightly busty and bouncy, the redhead with pigtails smiled at Caius.

"Beer?" she asked. Looking over to Lightning she asked excitedly, "Oh, your girlfriend?"

Before Caius was about to answer, Lightning did it for him. "Fiancée."

"Ohhhhh! You're engaged?" The girl was unable to contain her energy. "Congratulations! I knew you'd find the girl of your dreams! Goodness Caius, she's gorgeous!"

"Vanille..." Caius rubbed the side of his face. "Just get me a bottle of beer and water for the lady?"

"Righto!"

Skipping away, Caius turned to Lightning with a frown.

"What?" Lightning shot. "I can't tell her that I'm an angel from Valhalla!"

"You should have let me answer. For you.."

This was the second fiancée excuse he used twice in one day. He was a man who preferred to live the bachelor life rather than bound to a woman. Life was just not fun when your wings were chained. There were places he wanted to go, women to see and restaurants to try; marriage was not for him. Leaning back into the chair, Lightning observed him.

She leaned forward and asked, "So you don't want to get married?"

"No, why would I do that? Marriage is like being bound to a cage; no freedom whatsoever."

Lightning tilted her head. "But you sleep with women," she said it as she recalled holding up the strange triangular clothing earlier.

"I do but—why are we talking about this?"

"Because I want to know," Lightning replied bluntly. "I don't understand how you humans work. I thought you humans wait until marriage to consummate."

"I don't like waiting," Caius replied. "Enough about me. What about you? Are you engaged or married?" he asked the question looking at her left ring finger.

"No, I have no reason to," Lightning replied quietly. The flames on the candle beneath her flared slightly when Lightning replied. "My life is entangled in strict rules and regulations set by Etro and the Fal'Cie Council. I don't have time to depend on others or wait for others to save me. I can only depend on myself. I don't need a spouse to make me happy; I'm perfectly content with the way I am."

Now Caius was curious. "So you don't trust easily, do you?"

"I don't," Lightning narrowed her eyes forcing the flames beneath her crackle. "I can only trust myself."

"So you don't trust me?"

"No, I don't. No offense but I don't trust humans to begin with."

The sound of Vanille's shriek sliced through the tension; Caius and Lightning spun around at Vanille frozen to the spot. There was a bulky man stroking Vanille's behind. Pressing the metal tray against her chest, Vanille looked over the counter to the raven-haired woman with a large tattoo on her left arm. The woman leaned forward prompting the man to gaze upon her cleavage.

"You've come to take away my customers again?" The woman questioned smoothly. "You're starting to piss me off. I don't like competition, especially when it's scum like you."

"I wanted this girl for a long time," The man barked, slipping a hand beneath Vanille's skirt.

Frantic, Vanille quickly dashed around the corner and hugged the raven-haired woman. Trembling, the woman was not happy. In fact, she was going to solve this little problem.

"Alright scum, why don't we have a little contest?" The woman grinned.

Vanille look up. "Fang..."

"That's Fang," Caius pointed to the raven-haired woman. "She's dangerous."

"Why?" Lightning questioned. "She looks harmless."

"That's exactly _why _she's dangerous. That woman is tough."

Looking over at Caius, Lightning said, "Sounds like you have a history with her."

"I do and a pretty bad one too."

"I see."

"Fang hates it when people touch Vanille."

Unsure what Caius meant, Lightning paid attention to the man and Fang.

"Why don't we have a good ol' fashion arm wrestling match?" Fang grinned. "Winner takes all."

The man laughed hoarsely. "You think a puny woman like you can beat me? Why not you give me the little lady right now so I can fuck her right here? I know you'd enjoy watching the little lady spread her legs."

"Now, now. Match first, fucking later." Fang smirked. "Or are you too afraid that you'll lose to a puny, defenseless woman like myself?"

"You're on!"

The two combatants were ready; gripping tightly onto the man's hand, Fang narrowed her eyes. _Nobody_ touches Vanille and gets away with it. The man on the other hand scanned Vanille's body up and down concocting sick thoughts the things he wanted to do to the girl. Vanille was worried; she needed Fang to win this! She didn't want to sleep with this, this troll!

"Are you ready big fella?"

"Bring it on!"

Forcing as much strength as she could, Fang was determined to win over this troll. The man grounded his teeth watching Fang combat his strength; his eyes watched his arm lean dangerously low, almost touching the polished counter. No! He wouldn't have it! He couldn't lose to this woman when there was a delicious prize to take! Mustering his strength, he breathed and countered Fang's strength.

"Fang!" Vanille yelled worriedly. She watched as her partner's arm was soon going to touch the table. "I can't look!"

"You better be looking, little lady!" The man grinned madly. "Take this in watching your precious Fang lose!"

"You think you won?" Fang smirked. "I don't _lose!_"

With a final squeeze, Fang countered the man's strength and slammed his hand onto the counter. The man's jaw hung wide at his unpredicted defeat. How could she beat him? He was much stronger! Growling under his breath, the man yelled over his shoulder.

"Tear his place down!" Turning to Vanille he pointed at her, "I want this girl on her knees and her mouth around my—"

Fang delivered a punch to the man's jaw before he was able to continue. Leaping onto the man, Fang secured his head in a firm headlock. "Not a chance!"

Tables and chairs flew in all directions with hooligans ready to cause havoc. Caius and Lightning stood up and prepared to fight. Lifting his fists high, Caius looked over at Lightning.

"I guess this is your first pub fight?"

"This is," Lightning moved smoothly to the side listening to the sound of a shattered beer bottle fly past her. "I can manage."

"By the way, this is normal here," Caius ducked and covered his head from shattering glass. "It gets pretty wild in here when—"

"**BAR FIGHT!**" Fang screamed.

The hooligans began to throw chairs, plates—anything they could get their hands on at the patrons. Some patrons stood and fight, connecting their fists to faces or chairs to their backs. Caius ducked from an incoming punch and quickly retaliated with an uppercut of his own, sending the hooligan crashing across the table. During the commotion, Lightning was separated from Caius now pinned against the brick wall.

"Lightning!" Caius looked over. He watched Lightning silently glare at the men trying to touch her.

"A little dove with clipped wings," One of the men barked. "Let me see what's under this—"

Lightning grabbed his hand and twisted it with such force he fell onto his knees cursing as loud as he could. The other men were about to grab Lightning but she was too quick for them; dodging a punch she listened to the sound of a man's knuckles meeting brick. Elbowing a man in the gut then followed by a kick, Lightning tightened her grip around the man's twist. Little did she know, her eyes were glowing bright blue. Lifting up the man, she threw him over her shoulder watching him land on the other side of the room, sliding off the table. Fang took notice of Lightning's extraordinary strength as she leapt off the table and kicked a man right in his jaw. Vanille screamed smashing a bottle of vodka over a man's head when he tried to grab her apron. Blocking an attack, Caius ducked and delivered a strong punch to the man, sending him flying into the others. Heaving, he watched Lightning and Fang fear the entire pub apart. The climax of the fight was both girls sending the troll man airborne through the window of the pub, landing face first on his two front teeth.

Wiping her hands, Fang walked to the window still, "And stay out!"

Vanille emerged from behind the counter with a broom. This wasn't the first pub fight she was in but it got more violent every time strange customers walked through that door. At least, there was a door. Lightning's eyes dimmed back to their blue orbs and examined the carnage. There were bodies on the floor, splinters, tables and wrecked chairs all over the place. Fang turned around to Lightning.

"I've never seen you before," Fang commented dryly. "You new in town?"

Lightning nodded and pointed her thumb toward Caius. "Yeah. I'm this guy's fiancée."

"His fiancée eh?" Fang questioned with much intrigue. "What's your name?"

"Lightning," Lightning answered. "Lightning Farron. I'm from Bodhum."

Fang arched an eyebrow. "Bodhum? That place is nothing more than a scrap heap. Are you sure you don't mean New Bodhum?"

"Yeah, that," Lightning said dismissively. She _knew_ the difference between Bodhum and New Bodhum.

"And your name, Lightning, that's sure a strange name," Fang grinned, crossing her arms.

"Yeah,"

The sound of scraping chairs caught the attention of the girls. Caius wiped his hands down his jeans then locked eyes with Fang. Fang was unable to wipe off her smirk.

"You caught a good one this time, Caius," Fang congratulated dryly. "I assume you haven't got in her pants yet?"

"You're sick," Caius replied. "I just met her not long ago. And what about you? Still chasing girls?"

"Ha," Fang emitted a dry laugh. "I'm not chasing girls, Ballad. I'm keeping them."

Quickly reaching out to Vanille, Fang pulled Vanille close. The gesture confused Lightning. Why was this woman hugging Vanille with such care? Lightning concluded they were really good friends to be hugged like that. Glancing over to Caius, Lightning noticed a gash on his chin. Without thinking, she touched the gash and immediately healed. Caius jerked away.

"What are you doing?"

"Healing your wound," Lightning replied. "You're injured."

Caius glanced over to Fang and Vanille who didn't see what just happened.

Lowering his voice he whispered, "You can't use your powers here,"

"Why not? You needed healing."

"Remember, you're an _angel_. Humans don't know angels exist. You know it as well as I do."

"I see," Lightning snatched her hand back. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I cared."

Storming around broken glass shards and twitching bodies, Lightning exited the pub. Lightning understood Caius's point; if anybody found out she was an angel, she could be captured. The Fal'Cie Council warned all angels humans would experiment on angels given the chance. Nobody knew exactly what the humans would do but Lightning assumed they would take apart the angel's wings or try to extract the angel's tears. As beliefs went, an angel's tear could heal any human disease. Leaning against the wall, tonight was a disaster yet, she couldn't stop thinking about Bodhum, now that the name of the town echoed in her mind.

She heard the sound of Caius exiting the pub and momentarily stopped by Lightning's side.

"You alright?"

"I am," Lightning hugged herself tighter. "Hey Caius,"

"What is it?"

Lightning looked up; her eyes were now soft and somehow, enchanting. "Can you take me to Bodhum? I want to go there."

"Didn't Fang tell you—"

"Please? I'm asking you nicely. I... I need to go there."

Caius sighed but agreed. "Very well. I'll take you there but only on one condition,"

"Name it."

"Before we head over to Bodhum, I need you to tell me what business you have there. Deal?"

Without much thought Lightning agreed, "Deal."

"Alright. Tomorrow I'll take you to Bodhum but I'll warn you, it's not a pretty place like it used to be."

"I'll be ready for it," Lightning answered pushing off the wall. _I'll be ready see the place that was once my home._


	4. Angels Can Fall –Part 4–

**A/N:** Thank you to all you guys again :) It means a lot to me when I get to read what you guys think of the story. I always love reading feedback for story and plot improvement as well! So I'm really sorry for the delay as I've been catching up on other things and trying to contain my dreams, lol. This chapter isn't serious but it is slightly sad (to me that is). It's based of something that happened to me several days ago and I couldn't help but add it in here. If you guys can pick it out, it means you've been paying really good attention to the story :) I thank you again for reading this! Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Summary:** "Tell me Caius, do you believe in angels?"

* * *

**Angels Can Fall (Part 4)**

Lightning never moved her eyes off the approaching house, standing silently by the motionless shores of Bodhum. Listening to the motorcycle purring to a halt, Lightning slowly got off fixing her eyes on the structure she once called 'home'. The house she grew up in and lived through her teenage years faced dramatic changes; the paint on the wall hung to the side like paper, patches of mold grew in dark corners, the silver gate was devoured by rust. The list of imperfections could go on and on. Yet, the house never lost it's sense of 'home'. Something about the house remained 'warm' and 'peaceful'.

Touching the rusted gate, a soft creak echoed.

"So this is your house,"

"Yeah,"

Lightning pushed open the gates and dared to take a step onto the creaking floorboards. Fixing her gaze upon a rust covered lock, she had no problem tearing the weakened metal off the door. Caius remained silent watching the angel enter the house. On the wall, vines had covered a silver plaque. Tearing off the vines it read: Farron.

Taking a step into the hollow home, Lightning breathed.

"This is my house," Lightning spoke quietly. Her eyes moved around the empty hallway and to the kitchen. She was unable to contain her smile even if it was weak. "Welcome."

Caius followed Lightning closely, eyes fixed onto the deteriorating interior. It was a mess. Tables, chairs, lamps and all sorts were scattered about; the house contained clear evidence of looting over the years. Any pictures on the walls were removed or expensive ceiling lamps were dislodged. Barely anything was left with the exception of torn couches, pushed against the wall. Lightning moved silently through her abandoned home remembering the resurfacing memories. Pressing a hand against the wallpaper covered wall, there were pencil marks. Unable to prevent a smile from forming on her lips, she remembered well, her mother using a ruler measuring their heights. Lightning was always an inch taller than Serah who, every time puckered the lips in disbelief.

"_Why can't I be tall like Claire, mom?" Serah pouted. "I want to be just like her!"_

Leaving the pencil marks, Lightning made her way into the kitchen. Caius on the other hand continued exploring the once humble abode, opening rooms to spot dust covered objects. Closing the door to the bathroom in the hallway, he turned his attention to the torn pink carpeted steps. Step by step Caius ascended up the stairs and upon arrival on the top floor, he walked down the hallway then paused in front of a room. It was a pink door with a golden doorknob. Gently turning the doorknob, he listened to the door creak after years of silence.

"This is Serah's room," Slightly startled, Caius spun around meeting Lightning's gaze. The angel had her arms crossed and leaned by the wall. Blinking, Lightning moved her eyes to the exposed room. "I never thought I would see her room again."

"Serah," Caius said the name. "Sister?"

Lightning nodded and pushed off the wall. "Younger sister."

"Where is she now?"

Lightning kept her silence and walked past him. Entering the room, the room remain untouched even if all these years had passed by. Layers of dust touched every single object, even Serah's stuffed toys on the shelves. Books remained neatly stacked into piles on her bed. Glancing quickly at the smaller stacks, she took note of the teaching books Serah read. Serah aimed to become an aspiring teacher, ready to teach children. Serah _adored_ children. She told Lightning once she's ready, she'll marry and start a family of her own.

Lightning pressed a finger on the bed; it was still as comfy as ever. Looking around, Lightning almost expected to see Serah standing by the window gazing into the sky but... she wasn't here.

_She always loved looking at the sky._

Lightning pressed a hand on the window and she too, looked up at the sky.

"My sister had a wonderful life," Lightning began. "She had friends who loved her, a man who asked her for her hand in marriage and a bright future ahead of her."

She slowly folded her fingers on the window remembering past events forming into painted pictures in her mind.

"Everything was going so well, y'know? It was picture perfect."

"I guess she didn't get a happy ending, did she?" Caius caught onto the change in Lightning's voice. "What happened?"

Lightning was slightly hesitant in speaking about the past. Placing a hand over her beating heart, she summoned the courage to speak. "My sister fell ill and then... an angel came to take her away."

Lightning's words pierced Caius like poison; he remembered Yeul. The young girl was ill praying each day for an angel to take her away.

"I saw the angel with my very own eyes," Lightning spoke, slightly louder. "The angel knew Serah's will to live was strong but the angel took her away from me, right before my eyes."

Serah's face burned into Lightning's conscience whenever Lightning remembered her sister. Turning around, Lightning was faced with fog slipping into the room, transforming the room into a room once locked inside her memories. Lightning watched an image of herself sitting by Serah's side, holding tightly onto her frail hand praying to the angels to not take away Serah. Lightning heard her voice praying to Etro to not take away Serah as Serah was the only family she had left. She had already attended two funerals—her parents. This... this was something Lightning was _not_ prepared for. She was _not _prepared to lose another family member right in front of her eyes!

_Please Etro, spare this one life, Lightning prayed. She's the only family I have left. Give her time, she'll recover._

_ Lightning tightened her grip around Serah's hand praying as hard as she could. _

"_C-Claire...?"_

_Lightning opened her eyes glancing up to meet Serah's eyes. "Yes, yes I'm here Serah."_

_Serah smiled. "You're here... Did you get any sleep?"_

"_I did," Lightning forced a smile. It pained Lightning to no end watching her sister struggling to breathe through the oxygen mask. Lightning was unaware of the pools forming at the edge of her eyes._

"_You're crying," Serah spoke in a rasp. "You shouldn't be crying."_

_ It was too late; tear after tear fell down Lightning's peachy cheeks. Her sister was dying in front of her and yet, she continued to remain strong. She... She even had the strength to smile. Pressing her forehead against Serah's hand, Lightning's lips moved._

"_You promised you'd get better, Serah. You promised. You... You said that you'll get better when the flower festival arrives! You remember that promise, don't you?"_

"_I remember and I will get better," Serah continued to smile battling the urge to close her eyes. "I'll get better..."_

"_Serah!"_

_ Lightning shot out of her seat embracing Serah as tightly as she could. Unable to contain the streams of tears from her eyes, Lightning could feel each of Serah's exhaled breath becoming lighter and lighter. _

"_If angels are real then they should take me away," Lightning sobbed onto Serah's shoulder. "Take me instead!"_

_ It was that every moment Lightning felt a foreign presence. Glancing up, Serah and herself were adorned with majestic white light. _

"_Angels!" Lightning hissed. "Go away!"_

_ Gripping tightly onto Serah, Lightning shook her head; the angels were **not **going to take Serah away! And then it was when Lightning felt truly powerless; the white light adorned Serah took form into a shape of a beautiful woman clothed in white. Diamonds and pearls lined the gown in its flowy layers until the platinum worn crystal crown on top of the woman's head. This was no ordinary angel; she looked more like a goddess._

"_Do not fear me," she spoke quietly. "I mean you no harm."_

"_You're going to take away Serah!" Lightning shot, shielding Serah. "I won't allow it!"_

"_I understand your frustration, Claire but your sister is passing into the light, into the realm of Valhalla protected by the Goddess Etro. I am Etro." Etro explained gently. "She will live a life of happiness—"_

"_Lies!" Lightning shot. "She's happy right here! She doesn't need false celestials to tell her what 'happiness' is! Serah has a good life here! She doesn't need 'happiness' in Valhalla!"_

_ Etro fell silent, listening to the enraged mortal._

"_No, I will not allow you to take away Serah." Lightning shook her head. Fixing her eyes upon the merciful goddess, Lightning momentarily released Serah. It was an abrupt decision which she never thought it through but it was better than nothing. "Take me instead,"_

"_Why should you be chosen when your life continues to flourish?"_

"_Restore my sister's life and I will serve you and all the other gods," Lightning spoke firmly. She had no idea what she was bargaining for but all she wanted was Serah to remain alive, here on Pulse._

_ Etro mused Lightning's words. A living mortal wishes to take the place of the dead? Etro was unable to breathe life into Serah once again but she can transform the girl into an angel without a Focus. Staring deeply into Lightning's blue eyes, Etro made her decision._

"_Listen to me Lightning and listen to me well. Even as a goddess I cannot breathe life back into this girl. However, I can offer her a life of peace. She will live in Valhalla without bounds. She will be able to travel anywhere, any time without restrictions. I can allow her to travel to the mortal realm as much as she desires. I will only do this as I accept your proposal, Lightning."_

"_Thank you," Lightning replied. Weakly glancing down at Serah, Lightning believed this was the right thing to do. Moving her eyes back to the goddess, Lightning voiced, "What happens now?"_

"_I will take Serah to Valhalla and transform her into an angel without a Focus—a mission. But understand this, Lightning: since Serah will not receive her Focus, you will. You will be chained to me for all eternity once your life is extinguished here. Do you wish for this?"_

_ Lightning fell into silence. Even after bargaining with the goddess, the laws of death could not be twisted. Death was something even a goddess even as great as Etro could not be reversed. Gripping her fists tightly, Lightning would do it. She would take Serah's place and serve Etro._

"_Anything for the happiness for my sister," Lightning answered. "Even if you can't bring her back to life... at least give her the happiness she deserves."_

"_Very well."_

_ Etro reached out and touched Serah forcing the girl to warmly glow. Within a burst of light, Serah's soul left her body and was transported to Valhalla. Removing her hand, Etro gazed upon the determined human once again._

"_When you are about to die, you will hear Valhalla's bells silencing you to sleep. When you awaken, you will no longer be human but you will be my servant. You will become an angel with a Focus. Complete your assigned Focus and you will be able to unite with your sister in the High Heavens, in my temple. Fail your Focus and you will become Cie'th and forever damned in the Void Beyond."_

Lightning opened her eyes again remembering Etro's words well. She knew what she was getting into couldn't be changed but Etro kept her word; Serah was now in Valhalla as a free angel, an angel without a Focus. All Lightning had to do now was complete her Focus and return to Serah. That was her greatest desire.

Crossing her arms, Caius took notice of Lightning's changed posture.

"Something on your mind?" he questioned.

"I think it's better if I showed you what's on my mind. Come."

Walking past him, Lightning lead him down the staircase and toward the back of the house. There was a small garden with dried dead roses under the make-shift roof. Standing in front of the garden, Lightning fixed her eyes upon a small plaque. Standing by Lightning's side, Caius too, stared at the plaque.

"My ashes are here," Lightning pointed. "I died three weeks before I turned twenty-six. I'm not sure how I died but I remember hearing Valhalla's bells. By that point, I knew my time was up."

Caius voiced his thoughts. "Do you want to remember how you... died?"

"No, not really. I rather not know about it." Lightning shook her head. "But in the future maybe. At least, I think it'll be a good idea to know how I exactly died. Gives me closure, I think."

Sensing the change in the wind, Lightning's eyes suddenly widened. It was all too familiar.

"Caius."

"Hm?"

"Can you give me a moment? I'd like to be left alone. I'll meet you when I'm done."

Caius nodded. Once he was out of earshot, the wind pressed against Lightning's back.

"Lightning..."

"It's good to hear you again, Serah."

Lightning slowly turned around meeting eye to eye with her baby sister. Lightning was unable to describe how beautiful Serah looked in the Etronian styled gown laced gold and sown with pearls. Serah warmly smiled at her sister, caressing the side of her sister's face. They had been apart far, far too long.

"I missed you,"

"I missed you too," Lightning forced a smile.

Every time Lightning's eyes came in contact with Serah's she was left speechless. What was there to talk about? Since Lightning became an angel she barely saw her sister who lived with in Etro's Temple in the High Heavens. Serah smiled and walked past Lightning, fixing her eyes upon the garden. She knelt down slipping a finger beneath a rose immediately granting it life. The rose was no longer withered. Effortlessly, color flourished back into its petals and stem, radiating under the sun. Lightning smiled.

"You know, everyday I come here to visit your grave," Serah spoke quietly lacing her fingers behind her back.

"I know. I always hear what you have to say."

Even before Lightning could continue, Serah answered for her. "But you can't reply back," Turning to meet her sister's gaze, Serah continued, "Angels in the High Heavens aren't allowed to talk with a normal angel even if she's my own sister..."

"It's the rule enforced by the Fal'Cie Council," Lightning crossed her arms. "But Etro allowed you as an exception. You can always talk to me through the Pool of Sounds but I'm unable to reply to you..."

Silence momentarily reigned between the sisters.

Before Lightning could voice what she felt, Serah spun around delivering the tightest hug she mustered, "Happy birthday, Claire,"

Taken by surprise, Lightning blinked. "W-What?"

"You're birthday is in eight days. I don't think you forgotten your own birthday, have you?"

"Actually, I did," Lightning replied bluntly. "You know how I am with birthdays..."

"How old will you be now?" Serah joked.

"Let's not go into details? Please?" Lightning smiled and hugged her sister.

Right before her eyes she could see through Serah locking her gaze on her own hands. Lightning felt a stray tear fall of Serah's cheek, slipping down her back.

"I hope I can see you more and more since you're here," Serah whispered. "Consider me you're guardian angel,"

"You always have been."

"I'll always be here to protect you in this realm, Claire. I'm going to protect you from harm. From anyone or anything."

"I know."

"But," Serah pushed Lightning an arm's length away. "Please be careful on Pulse, Claire. I know you're sent here by Etro to complete a Focus even if you don't know where to start. All I can say is be careful in choosing who needs to go to Valhalla... You may break someone's heart and perhaps your own."

"Noted."

"Good," Serah smiled. Feeling her body slowly fading away, Serah closed her eyes. "Well, my time is up. I'll see you around, Claire,"

"Looking forward to it."

Serah took several steps back slowly dissolving into sand. With another blink, Serah was gone with the wind. Lightning expelled a sigh and spun around to lean on the rusted railing. Something about Serah's words bothered her.

_You may break someone's heart and perhaps your own. _Lightning repeated mentally. What did that mean?

"Are you done?" Caius's voice echoed around the corner. "It's time to leave. Bodhum isn't a a safe place when night falls,"

"I'm done," Lightning replied. "I'll be there in a minute."

Before she left, she fixed her eyes on the blooming rose and weakly smiled.

"My guardian angel..." Lightning whispered. "Always looking out for me even if you're no longer here, right, Serah?"


	5. Angels Can Fall –Part 5–

**A/N: **Hello all ^^ I'd like to thank you for the reviews I've been receiving from you guys. It brings a smile on my face when I'm stressed at work or rolling around at home. Thank you! This chapter was again out of a dream so it's kinda sketchy… my apologies for that ^^; If you notice, this story picks up pace faster than the other stories since it's never intended to be long… or will it be long? Who knows? I write from my dreams XD;; So thank you again for reading :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Summary:** "Tell me Caius, do you believe in angels?"

* * *

**Angels Can Fall (Part 5)**

"Fang."

"Ballad."

Fang sat across from Caius staring deeply into his eyes. She was abruptly called out of the comforts of her bed at eleven in the morning to meet at the _library._ Who the hell goes to the library at eleven in the morning on a _Sunday?!_ Fang merely narrowed her sapphire eyes reflecting her boiling irritation. Leaning back into the chair emitting a soft creak, she crossed her legs.

"Why did you call me out at this ungodly hour?" Fang snapped. "You realize I have a bar to run."

"It's eleven thirty-three," Caius replied quietly reading the large clock behind Fang. "I called you out since you're the person to who knows things around here."

A smirk slowly spilled across the woman's lips. "I'm listening."

Caius watched her tap her arm in interest. Continuing he said, "I want to know about the Farron household."

The smirk once present now dipped into a frown.

Furrowing her eyebrows Fang leaned forward; "Don't tell me it's about _Lightning_," Fang said then raised her eyebrow in slight amusement. "And now, don't tell me you're starting to fall for a complete _stranger._"

"Yes it's about Lightning." Caius straightforwardly responded. "And adding to that: I am _not_ falling for her."

"Then why do you care?" Fang continued. "Why do you want to know about the Farron family?"

Without hesitation Caius replied with a semi-lie, "Because something about her doesn't fit," Caius explained. "She appeared out of nowhere with a fuzzy mind. She only knows her name and that's just about it. She doesn't know where she's from, how she came to Pulse—Academia or why she's here."

"You're making her sound like she's from another planet," Fang laughed and waved her hand lazily. "But I can't refuse a request by an _old friend_ can I?"

"Am I really an old friend to you?" Caius inquired quickly changing the subject.

"That's all you'll ever be since our marriage didn't work out the way we hoped it to be. Instead of calling you my ex-husband you now hold the title of old friend. Congratulations," Fang said dryly. "Anyway, do you want me to enlighten you about the Farrons or not?"

Caius nodded. Fang made herself comfortable and pulled out a book from the small stack they gathered. Piled neatly on the table were books about ancestry and obituaries. Speaking of the damned book, why was he interested in someone who was _dead_? Tracing her finger across the leather bound book called, _Sanctum Survivors _Fang turned to a bookmarked page. Scanning through the small text, her eyes locked on the name in question: Farron.

"The Farrons, according to history were a family which served under the service of Sanctum. It says here the Farrons served since 21X BF." Fang read. "Through history all the Farrons were military personnel. Some joined the Guardian Corps or GC while others joined PSICOM."

"21X BF?" Caius questioned. It was now 549 AF.

Fang nodded and continued reading. "Those who joined Sanctum were fierce and loyal to the cause. Case and point: Hydebar Farron IV. He was the first Farron to join PSICOM back when it was established. It says here he was loyal, too loyal to the point he took his own life when a commanding officer instructed him to."

Fang stopped. Flipping through pages, Fang read more on the Farron history and one by one, all she read was their deaths exposed to their full glory. Why most of deaths were all self-inflicted? As Fang continued reading, it was the men who took their own lives. They either failed a task or a superior told them to take their own life. It was barely recorded if they died in service or not.

"This doesn't even come close to answering my questions," Caius murmured. He wanted to know about Lightning and not her ancestors. Though, he couldn't discount the fact all the names Fang read out were men who died by their own hands. Glancing up at Fang he said, "Anything else?"

"Hold your Chocobos," Fang flipped through more pages. "Well, if you're looking for someone in particular it stops at 104 BF. I don't see any more Farrons underservice."

Leaning back, he stared into Fang's eyes. "This still doesn't tell me anything."

"Fine, let's go through the obituaries. I think it's good to start from 21X BF and work our way to the present, sound good?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

The two spent two more hours looking through obituaries and Fang was close to losing her mind. When she was about to give up, she landed on a name: Claire Farron. Quickly turning the next page, this _Claire_ was the last Farron to be recorded. Placing down the obituary, Caius took notice of Fang's finger pointing to the name and the picture beside it. He was unaware his eyes were going wider and wider gazing upon the picture. So did Fang's.

"Hey… isn't this Lightning?" Fang spoke quietly. "It looks like her…"

Quickly removing her finger from the page her eyes scanned through Claire's profile. Claire Farron was an ordinary woman who worked in a small security division in Bodhum. Caius's eyes were locked upon Claire's cause of death: car accident or as described here, a highway speed chase. She died at the age of twenty-five.

"Don't tell me this is what you're looking for," Fang spoke feeling goose bumps beginning to form on her arms. "I don't think this is that Lightning girl we met but they look _exactly_ the same. They have the same hairstyle, face and eyes."

Ignoring Fang's comments, Caius continued to read on about Claire. There was an autopsy sketch attached to the file. Slowly removing the paper clip, Caius scanned through the details.

_A two broken femurs, a punctured lung, broken neck and… wounds on her wrists._ Caius blinked. Why were there wounds on her wrists? Was it inflicted by the accident or did Claire… did Claire slit her wrists? "Hey Fang, is there another Farron before Claire?"

"Hold on,"

Going through the obituary again, Fang found another name: Serah Farron.

"This girl was Claire's younger sister. She died of an illness at the age of twenty three. It says here Serah died in 003 AF." Fang moved her eyes to Claire's file. "Claire's death was in 004 AF just a year later."

Caius's mission was to find out how Lightning died. He thought if he uncovered her past, Lightning could gain some closure in knowing how she died. From the past hour, he heard her ancestor's history recalling how most of them committed suicide and later passed away through illness. Crossing his arms firmly across his chest, he wondered if Lightning took her own life because she was unable to cope with Serah's death? The obituary stated she died due to a car accident but it was the wounds on her wrist which bothered him. Lightning did _not_ seem the type to easily take her own life. Hell, she looked like the type too stubborn to die in the first place.

Shaking his head, Caius said in defeat, "I give up. This is giving me more mysteries and an unwelcomed headache,"

Fang remained silent, fixing her eyes on Claire's picture. It resembled Lightning down to the last detail. Surely the obituaries were wrong, Lightning couldn't have possibly survived for another five-hundred years!

Falling back in the chair, Fang ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm done! This makes no sense at all!"

"Agreed," Caius answered and pushed out of the chair. "I appreciated your help, Fang. I think we should leave it as it is but between you and me, let's not tell anybody about what we found out today."

"For once I agree with you," Fang pushed out of the chair. "Anyway, Vanille should be with Lightning right now. Apparently Vanille said she was going to take Lightning shopping."

Fang then shook her head in disapproval. That girl needed to put a lid on her shopping addiction! Every week Vanille goes shopping and returns home with more girly clothes, plants and plushies. Their small apartment could barely hold all of her stuff! Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she left Caius in preparation for a coming headache.

* * *

Lightning blinked. Then she blinked again. The clothes worn by the mannequin were terrible! Who the hell wears a poncho styled shirt in the middle of summer?! Narrowing her eyes, she didn't like the humans' sense of fashion. Suddenly hearing Vanille squeal, Lightning spun around to spot Vanille play dress up in front of the large body mirror. Lightning merely frowned.

_She's so carefree._ Lightning mused watching Vanille press dresses against her body comparing the colors against her skin. _Living day by day. Every day must be interesting for her._

"Lightning!"

_I wonder how it feels like to live day by day without worries…_

"Lightning!"

The strawberry blonde turned to Vanille pressing a light blue dress against her body. "What'd you think?"

"It looks… nice…" Lightning replied truthfully. Lightning wasn't sure what Vanille held was 'nice' according to human standards. There was so much Lightning needed to learn in order to blend in with the humans.

Since she died, she lost all traces of her humanity. Instead, it was replaced by becoming a higher being. Lightning had the strength of over a hundred men alone in her fists. She had the ability to change the weather with a flick of a wrist. Now Lightning's newest problem was playing dress up. She had no knowledge how to dress properly since she never found humans clothes to be _fashionable_. Wearing armor was the best way to go. Excusing herself, she left the store to lean by the stores' window waiting for Vanille. Lightning's mind soon went down a more serious path: her Focus. Where was she supposed to start? Without a name and a face, her Focus seemed hopeless.

_Might as well just turn into Cie'th_… Lightning mused dimly. _There's over five million people on Pulse and people are about to die every day. How in the name of Etro am I going to find the __**one**__?_

Thinking about her Focus didn't sit well with the angel. Expelling a sigh, she heard Vanille exit the store with three colorful bags: yellow, orange and blue. Quickly heading over to Lightning, Vanille mindlessly linked her arm with Lightning's and skipped down the streets of Academia. Lightning was not used to people touching her but in this case, she'd make it an exception. She'd play along… for now. If she offered any resistance, Vanille would find her suspicious and anti-social. Skipping until they reached a café, the girls seated themselves close to a fountain. Reading through the menus, Vanille ordered for both of them. Once the waiter was gone, Vanille paid attention to Lightning. She had questions that needed to be asked.

"How'd you meet Caius?" Vanille's eyes lit up.

"In the park," Lightning replied truthfully. "I was er—minding my own business until he approached me."

"Just like that?" Vanille leaned forward.

"Just like that." Lightning replied. _Really what's there else to say? That's unfortunately how we met…_

"And when did he ask you to become his fiancée?" Vanille asked brightly, leaning forward with much intrigue.

"Not too long ago." Lightning lied. "At first I refused but eventually he went head over heels and told me I was the one so on and so forth,"

Vanille's mouth changed into an 'O'. "That's so sweet!" Vanille leaned back into the chair, unable to contain her bright smile directed at Lightning. "Caius is a very good man, Light, oh may I call you that?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah! Okay Light, like I said: Caius is very good man even if in the past he made mistakes, well, lots of it."

"What kind of mistakes?" Lightning asked, interested by Vanille's choice of words. She better know about Caius in order to protect herself from him. After all, they were partially living together and people already had the assumption they were fiancé and fiancée. And to add to that people probably guessed they slept in the same bed already. Not happening.

Vanille stared into Lightning's eyes, "Well, Caius acts the way he does because he had his heart broken… well more like stepped on."

"Stepped on?"

"Yeah." Lowering into a whisper Vanille said, "Caius was used to be a wedded man."

"Really?" Lightning's eyes widened in amusement.

The image of Caius and marriage did not compute in Lightning's head. If she remembered correctly, he bluntly told her he wasn't interested in 'holy matrimony'. As far as he was concerned, as long as he could see other women and do as he pleased, he was 'happy'.

"To who?" Lightning questioned out of pure curiosity.

"Fang."

Fang. Wait. **FANG?!** That woman?! The gears in Lightning's head began to spin, picturing a happy couple known as Caius and Fang. Unfortunately the picture burned into ashes and the gears went kaput.

"It's sad though," Vanille continued. "Their marriage only lasted for a month."

"How come?"

"I'm not sure," Vanille replied. "Fang never talked about it… much. All I know is after the divorce, Fang was a new woman. As for Caius, he began distrusting people—mainly women in general even if he doesn't seem like it. He'll sleep around for a bit before breaking their hearts. It's a sad cycle, living like that."  
"I see…. _I gotta be careful then._"

"Regardless if you think Caius is going around breaking hearts on purpose, you're wrong. He's just… lost his way." Vanille spoke gently. "Speaking of hearts, right now his heart is fixed on a young girl he's looking after in the hospital."

"Yeul?"

"Yeah. He goes and sees her every day," Vanille smiled. "Caius reads stories to Yeul. He says that Yeul's eyes light up every time she hears a story about angels."

Vanille sadly lowered her eyes and moved her painted finger nails onto her lap beneath the table. Vanille met Yeul several years ago before Yeul fell terribly ill. The girl tried her best to battle her heart condition but as days rolled by, her condition deteriorated. Yeul loved strolling in the park with Caius by her side; Yeul once whispered to Vanille Caius was her guardian angel. He would always be by her side and give her hope when she needed it most. At times when Yeul was unable to move, Caius carried her. It was sweet, carrying her even if there was a terrible rainstorm; Caius would carry Yeul back into her house safe and sound.

Vanille remembered those days very well and none of it had changed over the years. Though Vanille pondered; with the introduction of Lightning in Caius's life, would it strain the relationship he built with Yeul? Maybe or maybe not, it was hard to say. Looking at Lightning intently, Vanille knew Lightning wasn't the type of person who would fool around; she seemed very hard-headed and very direct (though that has yet to be seen) kind of person. Vanille's soft eyes watched Lightning lean back into the chair with eyes scanning the streets. Strange, it was as if Lightning was looking or searching for something. Moving her eyes towards the direction Lightning was looking at, Vanille hopped out of the chair.

"Fang!" Vanille exclaimed.

Approaching closer and closer were Caius and Fang walking side by side. Lightning tilted her head at the two; just to imagine he used to wed Fang. Shaking those thoughts of her head, she merely nodded when both of them arrived. Ordering more food, they sat together to unfortunately stare at each other's faces.

"After this, I'm going to see Yeul," Caius spoke first then took a sip of cold water. "You're welcome to join, you know."

"Really?" Vanille piped up. "Oh, I haven't seen her in weeks now!"

"Leave the man be," Fang added dryly looking at her black painted nails. "You know as well as I do when Caius is around, Yeul doesn't look at anybody else."

"Fang, that's mean," Vanille pouted.

Ignoring Vanille's puppy pout face, Fang turned her attention to Lightning. The strawberry blonde was quiet staring into space allowing her fingers to draw circles on the tablecloth. The image of Claire's face burned deeply in Fang's mind. Surely the woman sitting across from her was _not_ Claire, right? Feeling Fang's intense eyes drilling holes into Lightning, the angel faced Fang.

"What?"

"Nothing," Fang responded. "Say Lightning, is that your _real_ name?"

"What do you mean by that?" Lightning snapped. "It's the only name I have."

"Are you sure?" Fang replied. "It's not an alias or anything is it?"

"Why do you care?" Lightning questioned.

Caius stared at Fang. "Fang."

Looking from Fang to the duo, Vanille quickly thought of a solution to cut the tension. Pushing away from the table, Vanille scrambled into the café and quickly dove through magazines. Every time Caius mentioned Yeul, Fang would react even though it was unintentional. Getting her hands on several volumes, Vanille flipped through the pages and spotted something Caius couldn't ignore. Rushing back out, the trio continued their staring match prompting Vanille to slam a flyer onto the center of the table. The three looked up at her.

"This," Vanille said proudly. "This is a play that's coming to town. The Palumpolum Theater Troupe is doing a play about angels." Tapping the yellow advertisement circle repetitively, Vanille continued brightly, "Right now they're recruiting someone to play the part of the angel. It says here the actor who was supposed to play the angel fell ill. As compensation anybody who steps up will receive three four free tickets to see the show!"

Lightning had no comment. Caius was interested in the flyer and Fang couldn't care less.

"This will be a great opportunity to see something different with Yeul!" Vanille exclaimed. "Come on, guys what do you say?! Yeul'll love it!"

Having heard enough, Lightning excused herself; this was literally a waste time. Walking away, Caius snapped his head back before following her leaving Fang and Vanille at the table with the flyer. Catching up to Lightning, Caius questioned why the sudden change in attitude. Quickening her pace, she didn't want to explain it; she was an angel, hidden in plain sight listening to the humans. The humans continued to believe angels were merciful beings from Valhalla smiling and granting the dead a safe trip to Valhalla. The humans knew nothing. Turning a corner, Lightning narrowed her eyes in distaste. Being an angel didn't mean they had to always do _good_; it was the rare time they had to choose to do things they didn't want to do. A prime example? Taking someone to Valhalla when they don't want to.

"Lightning!" Caius grabbed her arm, spinning the angel around. "What's wrong with you?"

"You want to know what's wrong?" Lightning gritted her teeth. "Angels!"

"Angels? What on Pulse are you talking about?"

Caius noticed Lightning's fists tightened. Something back there triggered a nerve. "I hate it when you humans speak about angels as beings that give do good and give hope. It sickens me."

"Why?"

"You're a human! You wouldn't understand! Go on! Keep on thinking that angels are only here to cease your suffering while in reality, we end your miserable existence without you knowing about it!"

About to storm away from him, Caius crossed his arms. "Then explain to me this: where do you angels get your powers then? Is it not from prayers from us humans? A prayer from a little girl who scans the skies for an angel every night before she falls asleep?"

"Nonsense."

"It's not. Yeul looked toward the skies everyday to see an angel—to see you shining your light on her. I want to grant her wish, Lightning. I want her to see an angel but I don't want the angel to take her away."

Hearing the sincerity in his voice, Lightning turned around. "Get to the point."

"With your beliefs aside, Lightning, can you grant Yeul's wish?"

"I won't," Lightning shook her head. "I can't."

Trailing off, Lightning diverted her eyes and walked away from Caius. She couldn't do it. She couldn't. She was an angel destined to take away lives, not give them hope. The last thing she wanted was to take away Yeul's heart and ultimately, crush Caius's heart for good.


	6. Angels Can Fall –Part 6–

**A/N: **Finally! An update after being in the hospital for 2 days and a half. I'm sick of hospital food and needles poking into me! I'm finally home where I belong and in front of my laptop. I wrote this chapter sometime before I fell critically ill. Now I'm just gonna finish it up and eat some good food. I hope you enjoy this chapter; there's nothing much to it other than it's a breather for the next things to come. I still got lots to dream about ;)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Summary:** "Tell me Caius, do you believe in angels?"

* * *

**Angels Can Fall (Part 6)**

"**Lightning! Where are you?!**"

Caius came to a stop looking for the angel. Gone. Simply gone. Gazing down empty streets, the angel was nowhere to be found. Propelling forward, Caius was determined to find Lightning after their small quarrel. Shaking his head, he cursed himself for allowing her to prowl alone in the afternoon. There were only two hours left before the sunset and the night would take over. Turning a corner, he found an angel but it was the angel in the poster. With time not on his side, Caius immediately headed the other way in search for Lightning.

* * *

Lightning stood in front of the Palumpolum troupe poster and tore it off the wall; the sight of an angel sickened her. Crushing then igniting the poster with her fingers, she felt slightly better. Angels. Angels. Angels. That's what all the humans ever think about: bloody Angels. Angels were high beings giving humans hope when they wished for it. Yeah right. Hope her ass. Breathing out a sigh, Lightning placed her hands on her hips as she would do when she was done silently ranting. Turning her head to lock gazes with an empty street, she wondered where she was. She had stormed quite a distance away from Caius after their little spat. Taking some steps forward, all Lightning could see benches, trees, some parked vehicles and kids running after each other. She had absolutely _no _clue where she was.

_Great. I'm lost. _

Without a destination in mind, Lightning advanced down the street ignoring the glances she received from some people. Things got _so_ much better when rain clouds rolled in and decided to unleash a terrible storm. People quickly ran for shelter and Lightning? She continued walking down the soaked streets of Academia. Kicking a can to the side, the aluminum object bounced off a person's leg. Expecting it to be Caius, she looked up and saw a tall young man with silver hair.

"Sorry," Lightning apologized through the sound of the rain.

"It's okay," The young man replied. "I don't want to intrude but why are you walking in the rain?"

"I'm lost," Lightning admitted. "I can't find my way back to my abode."

"Abode?" The young man chuckled but immediately ceased once Lightning gave him a slight glare. "House you mean?"

"Yeah, that."

"Let's quickly get out of the rain and talk," he gestured to a small shop. "I can barely hear you over the sound of the rain."

Without thinking, Lightning followed the stranger into a small shop. Judging from its appearance, it was a coffee shop humans enjoyed. The aroma of different beans and blends caused the angel to gag; it was the same garbage Caius drank in the morning! Shaking her head, Lightning rinsed out her hair as she sat by the window with her legs crossed under the table. Sitting across from her was that young man she encountered. Even before she uttered a word, he extended his hand.

"Hope Estheim,"

"…Lightning." She shook his hand in response. Quickly pulling back, Lightning stared into Hope's eyes. She was still very alert of humans and this one was no different.

"Lightning," Hope repeated. "What a strange name."

"Yeah, well, you're not the first person to comment on that." Lightning replied dryly remembering Fang's intrigued look.

Silence momentarily settled between the two that was, until Hope was the first to break the silence.

"It's nice to meet you Lightning," Hope smiled warmly. "To be frank, I've never seen anybody like you in Academia before. Did you recently move here?"

"…Yeah, I did. I came to live with my fiancé." Lightning lied with a straight face. "He needs someone to help clean up his room, y'know. Men can't do a single thing without a woman's touch."

Hope couldn't help but stifle a chuckle, "I see, I see."

Hope's eyes shifted toward the window observing countless raindrops collide against the glassy surface. One by one, drops slid down the window and into the potted plants below. Lightning merely observed Hope. This young man was strange in her perspective; he approached her without fear crossing his mind. She always believed humans to be fearful creatures, even if it's with each other. Most of the time, humans stayed a distant from one another. Hearing thunder crack against the sky, Lightning's attention returned to how she was supposed to get home. She had no idea where Caius lived. All she knew was how his room looked like. If she imagined it clearly, his room was an abominable mess; clothes, alcohol bottles and food lay waste on the floor. He wasn't considered hygienic in her standards. Then she wondered: Were all men like that? No. The angels in Valhalla were clean, even the men were tidy and respectful of their space.

Racking her memory, she knew Caius didn't live in a house but in a building with hundreds of rooms. Within her imagination, she imaged a beehive. She was positive. Yet, how could she distinguish his building form all the other buildings when the other structures look exactly alike? Irritated (and beyond annoyed), Lightning shifted her weight and uncrossed then crossed her legs. She wondered: Could this human help her without raising suspicions? It was worth a shot. To much of her knowledge, humans weren't that smart to begin with. Case and point: Caius.

"I'll help you look for your house," Hope spoke warmly. "Do you know roughly where it is?"

"Not really," Lightning closed her eyes. "I just arrived here not too long ago. I'm not familiar with the locale."

"Okay, can you describe any landmarks you remember?"

_Landmarks…_ Lightning mused. Of course, the park where she first met Caius. "A park. It's a ways away from the main city. There's a fountain there."

"Well that was easy. There's only one park here in Academia. I can take you there."

"Appreciated."

Finally getting somewhere, Lightning couldn't wait to get back 'home'. Of course, the reminder of Valhalla waiting for her would always be on her mind. For now, her human home and her so called 'fiancé' were waiting for her. By now he was probably frantic about her whereabouts.

* * *

"**LIGHTNING! LIGHTNING!**"

Caius darted out of an alley to no avail. He cursed himself at Academia for being so goddamn huge! Who the hell had the idea to build this goddamn place so high the buildings even touch the goddamn sky?! Okay, maybe he should calm down and worry about finding the angel. As he thought, Fang and Vanille were already looking around town. As luck would go, those two are experts are finding lost people. Running around drench, where was he even supposed to look when Lightning could be _anywhere_ in this labyrinth? He could officially go to the authorities but they would be searching for a person who doesn't exist in their database. Screeching to a halt, Caius listened to the sound of violent raindrops slam against the pavement.

Only gaining a moment of silence, Caius's cellphone rang, startling him. "You found her?"

"Her?" A girl spoke. "Caius, it's Yeul."

"Yeul?" Caius questioned but suddenly recomposed himself. "Do you need anything?"

"No. I wanted to check up on you." Then Yeul paused listening to Caius's breathing and the rain slamming onto him. "Are you outside? Do you know it's pouring rain?! And why do you sound so tired?"

Quickly thinking Caius responded, "One of my coworkers lost her dog. She ran away when she heard thunder. Now we're looking for her."

"Oh dear," Yeul covered her mouth. "Okay. I won't you hold on any longer. Go find the dog! I hope it returns back to your friend!"

Caius warmly smiled, "Thank you, Yeul. When I'm done I'll come over okay?"

"Alright." Yeul smiled and hung up.

Relieved, Caius tucked his phone back into the jacket and focused on the task at hand; Lightning. The last thing he wanted was Lightning to be lost in the foreign city alone unaware of the dangers which lurk around every corner…

* * *

Hope and Lightning walked side by side under an umbrella. Hope figured it would be a shame for Lightning to catch a cold after arriving here not too long ago. Lightning cared not for sharing a small, plastic umbrella with Hope. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, they continued to walk until they reached a moving sidewalk. While they were on it, the sound of laughter echoed behind them. Rolling her eyes, Lightning faced a large man with tattoos scattered across his face. She noted the other two men behind this oaf and the two other men behind Hope. When would the humans learn they couldn't best an angel?

Clicking his teeth he spoke gruffly, contesting with the storm. "And what do we have here? Two love birds on a date?"

"We aren't dating," Lightning replied coolly appalled at the childish remark. "What do you want from us you stench-filled oaf?"

"Look at her talk boys," The man spun around to the man on the right, directly pointing at the angel. "She called me an oaf! How adorable."

"Charming," Lightning retorted. "You know, we'd appreciate it a lot of you get out of the way. We're in a hurry."

"Not so fast." The man held out his massive tattooed palm. "Why don't you ditch this scrawny pretty boy and come with us? We'd love to know you better."

"Thanks but no thanks. I'm taken," Lightning lied, again. "Listen here, Behemoth slob, we need to get to someplace and you're blocking my way. It's starting to piss me off."

"You better do what the lady tells you," Hope added, closing the umbrella. "You don't want to anger her."

Launching his massive body onto the duo, Hope immediately spun around and snapped the umbrella open into the face of his attacker. Taking the prompt, Lightning darted forward and delivered a strong uppercut toward one of the men, knocking them onto the ground. Landing several feet away, she encouraged another man to attack her. Taking the bait, the man clenched his fist and thumped his chest with authority. Bellowing like a moronic beast, he charged at Lightning only to have her fist meet the center of his gut. Bending over, his face was soon met by a strong knee between the eyes knocking him backwards. Hope on the other hand was doing just fine; disarming these two dangerous trolls with his plastic umbrella. Side stepping, one of the men stumbled into their leader before shoved back into the fight.

"You guys aren't that tough," Hope said quietly dodging a fist aimed to his face. Snapping the umbrella to the side, he allowed the troll to trip and faceplant into the sliding walkway. "Just a bunch of mindless thugs."

Biting his ringed lower lip, the thug hissed, "Why you little—!"

Lightning removed her hand from the back of the man's neck slowly watching their leader fall onto his knees and kissed the end of the walkway. Glaring at the man standing behind Hope, Lightning dared him to make another move. It was she predicted; he took several steps back before running away with an invisible tail tucked between his legs. Clapping her hands to get rid of the filth, Lightning turned to Hope.

"I guess this place isn't as safe as I initially thought," Lightning voiced. "I thought it would be a safe utopia without thugs roaming the streets."

"It happens in every city," Hope calmly responded getting off the walkway. "Our security is tight in Academia but there are some which sneak under the radar."

"Uh huh."

"But I'm very surprised at your talent, Lightning. You took out those men like they were amateurs. Are you trained in some defensive exercises?"

"No—I mean yes. I took defense classes since I was a little girl." Then Lightning landed her hands on her hips. "What about you? You seemed awfully calm when they attacked."

"I've gotten used to it," Hope smiled and re-opened the umbrella. "I've learned to deal with thugs and hotheads over the years. At first they scared me but now, not anymore."

"I see. Well, since we're done here let's keep on moving. I'm starting to feel soaked to my bones."

"Good idea," Hope smiled. "The park is still a long way from here."

Nodding, the two walked side by side watching the rest of the populace hide under large structures. Though it was funny watching people watching them in an odd way; Lightning observed some of the girls whisper to one another. Something about a 'Director' of some sort. Huffing, Lightning paid no attention as she stepped over a deep puddle now arriving at the intersection. The lights in front of her switched to green prompting the two to cross. Again, as Lightning walked with Hope, heads began to turn. Now she was utterly curious if there was something special about Hope? He looked like any other normal teenager in this day and age. Tall, lanky and not really malnurioushed. Perhaps, slightly good looking in terms of human standards?

Regardless, the two crossed safely to the other side reaching the lush green park. Lightning stepped out from the confines of the umbrella and spotted Caius standing beneath the tree where they first met. She watched him look around for a while until their gazes were locked. Without spoken words, Caius stepped forward increasing his strides. Arriving in front of Lightning, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey," That was the first thing that came to the warrior's mind. "Looking for me?"

"Are you alright?" Caius voiced then turned his attention to the young man beside Lightning. "You found her?"

"Yeah I did," Hope turned to Lightning. "She was wondering the city. I found her after I finished my shift."

"I see. Thanks. She's new here." Caius started at Lightning watching the raindrops slide off her bangs. "I was worried about her if she were to get lost and never found her way back."

"I know," Hope responded. "Ah right, you must be her fiancé then? And your name is…?"

"Caius."

"Caius, that name is oddly—wait, you're Fang's ex-husband."

"That's right." Caius mumbled.

The sound of thunder cracked against the sky prompting another wave of wet curtain upon them.

"It's time for us to go, Lightning." Looking at Hope again, he said, "Your help is appreciated, Director."

"Director?" Lightning glanced up at Caius. About to question further, Hope had already spoken.

"Any time," Waving goodbye to the duo, Hope watched Caius remove his jacket and covered Lightning's head. In an odd gesture, Lightning pushed away his hand and stormed away.

Standing beneath the umbrella, Hope watched the two until they were out of sight. Gripping the handle, Hope was unable to shake off an odd feeling he encountered with Lightning. There was something particularly odd about Lightning; her gestures and speech indicated she was not definitely an Academia locale. Her mannerisms were off which made Hope wonder: Where did Lightning come from? Nevertheless, Hope had a feeling he would encounter Lightning again. Shrugging, Hope turned around to exit the park. It was all in a day's work for Academia's founding personnel to be helping his citizens' one person at a time. Walking through the puddles made by the rain, Hope was going to return to his room for a nice cup of hot cocoa, waiting for him. It felt good to be helping someone whom he had never met before. Humming a quiet song, Hope made his way back to the Academy to relive the moments Lightning and himself took down the thugs. Sure enough, it felt good breaking from his usual routine stuffing his face in datapads and books, reading about the existence of angels and the mysterious land known as Valhalla.


	7. Angels Can Fall –Part 7–

**A/N: **Hi everybody! How are you doing? I'm really sorry for the lack of updates since I haven't been dreaming lately. I don't see what should happen next (which goes for both this story and HTC). Don't think for a second I'd forget these 2 stories! Also, I'm in the middle of taking on extra jobs and all that shenanigans. Fun times. There isn't much to this chapter since it sets up the next chapter. I've vaguely seen what should happen already so hopefully I'll be typing that up soon! I've been so busy with life that I'm trying to force myself to dream… which clearly, isn't working, LOL!

I hope you enjoy this! ^_^;;

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Summary:** "Tell me Caius, do you believe in angels?"

* * *

**Angels Can Fall (Part 7)**

"Can you tell me more about Hope?" Lightning questioned drying her hair with a towel.

"Hope. Hope Estheim," Caius replied, pulling a black shirt on. "He's the President of this city."

"President?" Lightning paused and gazed at Caius. "What do you mean 'President'?"

"Hope runs this entire city, Lightning. He runs the city with the help of the Academy, a scientific based organization that conducts experiments and research to improve the quality of life. It's only recently was Hope elected President since the other competitors didn't win the affection of the population."

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "How old is Hope?"

"Twenty-four."

"Twenty-four," Lightning repeated.

"By the way, he won the affection mostly from the women in this city. He won by a landslide."

Ignoring the added information, Lightning merely huffed in response and walked to the window. Only twenty-four and Hope was running a city by himself and with the aid of the Academy. She mildly dipped her head thinking how could one undertake such a monstrous task? Lightning tried to recall when she was twenty-four but nothing came to mind. Fearing she would walk down memory lane, Lightning snapped out of her thoughts once she heard thunder crack across the heavens. Now back in this not-so-humble abode, Lightning planned out her next move. The sound of rain was something Lightning got accustomed to when she needed to think. The curtains of liquid continued to slide down the clear window and reflected off the city's neon lights.

Hearing thunder crack again, Lightning abruptly jerked forward. Her hands immediately ran to her mark feeling an intense heat spreading across her chest. Groaning, the warrior slipped onto her knees, gasping for air. It was as if her lungs suddenly harbored spikes piercing through her chest. Shaking wildly, Lightning felt the skin begin to part.

_No, dammit! No, not now!_

Immediately by her side, Caius questioned if she was alright. Lightning's face was twisted in pain; the feeling of a dagger twisting her heart. The pain was great it forced sweat beads to roll down the side of her face in agony.

"**Lightning! Lightning!**" Caius shook her. "**Are you alright? Tell me what's going on!**"

The pain was too much to respond. Digging deep, Lightning summoned her strength and shoved Caius aside. The burn was too much; inhaling, Lightning scrambled onto her feet and leaned by the window. She knew exactly what was happening to her; the mark on her chest reminded her of her Focus. Caius's voice was frantic but his words were garbled in Lightning's mind. She needed to get away from him. Stumbling through the room, the angel crashed into the table and knocked down a cup of coffee. The mark on her chest continued to split prompting a groan from the angel. Reaching the bathroom, she stumbled in and slammed the door shut. With everything she had, she locked the door prompting Caius to pound the door from outside. Shaking her head, she didn't want to hear it! Slamming her back onto the door, the angel slid down and curled into a tightly knit ball.

"Even now, you choose to struggle on your own… why is that?"

Etro sadly gazed into the Pool of Misfortune witnessing Lightning's torment. She watched the angel bite her knuckles to suppress her screams. Lightning dug her nails into her arms fighting the scorching sensations from within trying to hold her ground. Etro felt terrible for Lightning but it was within their contract Lightning was to carry out missions to keep Serah free by any means necessary. Hearing the sound of metal rattle beside her, Etro chose not to look at her side as she already knew who was beside her.

"Shall you not comfort her?" Etro voiced quietly. "She battles her pain."

Digging her fingers into the groves of the marble stone throne, Etro was troubled. Even if Lightning had never voiced her thoughts, Etro read her like a book. Before her lay the angel writhe in pain while her mind was a mixture of turbulent thoughts and pride. Etro knew Lightning was going to do anything she could to complete her Focus. The thought of becoming a Cie'th crossed the angel's mind every so often but her will to live was unbreakable. Foreseeing Lightning's troubled future brought no joy to the goddess. Constantly fighting against destiny to do what's right would become one of Lightning's biggest challenges to overcome.

* * *

The sun. Nothing challenged the radiance of the sun. When gentle rays caressed the warrior's soft skin, she slowly stirred. A finger twitched. Her lips moved. Her eyes opened. Lightning recollected her thoughts before producing the first word that came to mind, "What?" Lying on her side, Lightning breathed in fresh air tasting a tint of lavender. Slowly pushing herself up, she placed a hand on her head with eyes fixated to the scene before her.

Lightning lay in a sea of multicolored flowers prompted by the wind to sway in gentle motions. Looking around, she never remembered this. Her memories were foggy; last time she recalled stumbling into Caius's bathroom and… and everything went blank. Blinking, Lightning wondered if she walked into a dream. That was a possibility.

"You're awake,"

Spinning around, Lightning's eyes landed on a tall man, greeting her with a gentle smile she came accustomed to.

"Lord… Lord Raines…"

"You still call me Lord," Raines whispered quietly as if hurt. "Do you often forget we are engaged? You do not have to call me Lord."

Glancing down to her finger, Lightning spotted the shimmering platinum band on her ring finger. _How can I forget? I'm engaged to Raines._

Raines extended out his hand to receive his betrothed to which she received. Pulling her to stand up straight, Raines's eyes scanned over his to-be bride. This engagement was a mere alliance to strengthen the Fal'Cie Council and the Valhalla's army. Cid Raines was selected to be engaged to Lightning by Barthandeleus. Raines possessed the status, power and loyalty to which he displayed in Council meetings and on the battlefield. He was the perfect match for Lightning. Lightning on the other hand was a strong angel and Etro's right hand. Agreeing and blessing the couple, their marriage would be underway once Lightning completed her Focus. Etro knew Lightning was voiceless the marriage but she warrior understood it had to be done. After all, Lightning had sworn undying loyalty to Etro and _not _the Council.

Walking side by side, Lightning gazed upon the fields before her rather than the man next to her.

"Are you not thrilled to see me, Lightning?"

"I am," she replied blankly. "I just don't know how to express it."

"You never change, Claire."

"I told you to not call me that," Lightning spoke sternly. "That was part of our agreement."

"As defensive as ever."

"Why are you here, Cid?" Lightning stopped mid-track allowing Raines to walk several steps head of her. "I don't think you're here for idle chit-chat."

Without turning around, Cid responded, "I came to guide you."

"Guide me?" Her eyebrows were raised. Crossing her arms she continued, "Guide me where?"

"To finish your Focus."

"My Focus?" Lightning repeated. Then it struck her. "Do you think I'm _incapable_ of finishing a Focus that was assigned to me?"

"I know of the name of the person you need to guide to Valhalla, Lightning." Cid spoke sincerely implying to Lightning's target. "Do you want to know her name?"

"Her?" Lightning repeated. Curiosity built up itching for the name.

"When I speak of her name, it will dawn to you the things you must do in order to bring her to Valhalla. She is of the moment living on spared time. Every day she wishes to see an angel." Turning around Cid locked eyes with Lightning. "She wishes to see you, Lightning."

Standing in the quiet moment, Lightning thought of Cid's words carefully. Only if he uttered the name would Lightning know whom to go to and perform her duties. The temptations made the warrior linger but Lightning already knew the Focus assigned to her must be completed without help. Even if the answer was right in front of her.

Shaking her head, Lightning voiced, "No. I will find her on my own." Folding her fingers, Lightning spoke, "I appreciate your help Cid but this is a task I must do alone."

"I understand…"

Lightning wasn't stupid; she knew Cid wanted her to commit to marriage as quickly as possible. She wondered if being married—or in her perspective, shackled—to him would make a difference in performing her duties as an angel. The idea of matrimony never sat well with her; Lightning already witnessed first-hand what marriage does to people or angels alike. The main reason she agreed to this was because she never wished to disrespect the Council or disappoint Etro. After all, she was just a tool, wasn't she? For now, she was buying time on Pulse to experience freedom until the very last second.

"It's time," Cid interrupted her thoughts. "It's time for you to wake up from the dream. We must part for the time being. Rest assured I will return for you."

"I know," Lightning replied.

Taking a step forward, Cid slipped his gloved hand beneath Lightning's to bring her hand to touch his lips. "Before I let you go, promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"_Never_ forget our vow to Etro."

Lightning blinked but responded with a firm nod. "I'll never forget it."

Releasing Lightning, Cid bowed while his body soon began to fade before his angel. "Farewell, Lightning. Let the grace of the angels protect you always…"

Watching Cid fade away with the breeze, Lightning felt light headed. The field around her began dissolving, breaking into pieces of petals signaling the end of the dream. The sun blared in her eyes forcing the warrior to close her eyes and fall back into reality.

* * *

"Lightning! Can you hear me? Wake up!"

Caius shook Lightning gently praying the angel would wake up. Seeing Lightning's fingers slowly move, he released a sigh of relief. Kneeling before her, he gently scooped her up and moved toward the living room. Placing her down on the couch Lightning opened her eyes listening to the sound of rain once again. The cracking thunder brought her to her senses, waking her up.

"Caius?" The warrior spoke. "I need your help."

"What do you need help with?"

Lightning never wanted to say it but living on borrowed time, she was going to twist the rules. "I need your help to fulfill my Focus."

Light erupted from the skies above sending flashes of lightning onto Pulse. Gently releasing her shoulders, Caius looked into the angel's eyes for answers.

"You want me to help you? I thought you said humans shouldn't intervene,"

"I did and now I'm taking back my words. Look, the faster my Focus gets done, the quicker that person can be set 'free'. So I ask you again: Will you help me?"

Lightning felt like a hypocrite. Initially she turned down Cid's help because of the fact he knew who Lightning needed to release. No, she never wanted it on a silver platter. She wanted to find out for herself who needed saving thus, she requested Caius's assistance. It was different. Plus, he knew Academia better than anybody so why not? Dipping his head, he agreed.

"Alright, I'll help you. Let's start looking tomorrow then. I have a couple of places you can start your search from."

Lightning nodded. "Alright, sounds good."

Pushing off the couch, Lightning made sure she made no attempt of opening her mark any further than it should. Tomorrow her search would begin for her target. There was no time to lose; time was slowly ticking away for both Lightning and the unnamed person praying for the day an angel would come.


End file.
